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New York District Attorney Admits To Acting In Porn

A district attorney in New York has admitted that he acted in pornographic movies in the 1970s. He also lied when questioned about it during his second campaign.

According to NBC News, Mark Suben, the DA in Cortland County since 2008, held a news conference on Friday to say that he lied about his past. He made the surprising announcement just days before this year’s election.

Suben said this in the press conference:

“Recently materials have been circulated alleging that I was involved in the adult film industry about 40 years ago in New York. Those allegations are true. I was an actor in adult films for a short period in the early 70s. I was also an actor in other venues including off Broadway, soap operas and commercial advertisements.”

After making the announcement, Suben followed by apologizing for his actions and said that he used “bad judgment” by acting in porn and by lying about it. He wouldn’t take any questions, including whether or not he should resign.

On his way out of the news conference, several people told Suben, “You lied to me, Mark.”

According to Aimee Milks, Suben’s spokeswoman, he has no plans to resign. Milks explained Suben’s stance by saying:

“This was nearly 40 years ago. It was not illegal. Mark Suben was not yet married. He was not practicing law and he was not a law student. It has nothing to do with his law practice or his current position as the district attorney of Cortland County.”

Milks continued saying, “I think the situation is really irrelevant to the campaign. His record as the DA for the last four years speaks for itself.”

WSTM-TV in Syracuse published a story on Friday that said Suben acted in the adult films under the pseudonym Gus Thomas. That news story followed a posting on YouTube comparing images of Suben to Thomas.

Suben said:

“A few weeks ago, when asked, I denied this to members of the press. I regret that and I apologize for it. I was shocked and embarrassed to be confronted with this so many years later. I was embarrassed for my family and friends who have stood by me. I also denied my actions to my family, my friends and my staff.”

Throughout his career, Suben has been an acting city court judge, city corporation counsel and a county attorney. He was also a past president of the Cortland County Bar Association.

According to the biography on his election website, Suben graduated from the University of Rochester, the University of Wisconsin and Fordham Law School. The bio also says that he worked seven years as an assistant district attorney in Bronx County then moved to Syracuse.

Since moving to Syracuse, Suben has taught criminal trial practice as an adjunct professor for 17 years at Syracuse University Law School.